The Forgotten Apprentices
by Nanix Erka
Summary: Hali Ma-Tair is the first foreign, female apprentice to Ezio, and things start out pretty well. but problems arise, and secrets are revealed. Will Hali crumble under the pressure? or rise above? Rated T for violence and language and a little pervyness
1. Chapter 1

Hali Ma-Tair was alone on a stone bench in the port town of Fiumicino. She sat there in a simple, faded blue dress with her leather bag and nothing else. She put a hand through her long, light brown hair and thought about it. What a foreign world, she had been dragged into. It seemed like only yesterday, a letter had come to her in simple Hebrew, requesting her presence by Ezio Auditore Di Firenze. The fact that he wanted to train her- that word of her special talents had spread to Rome , land so far from her own frightened her at first, but excitement had followed it soon after. Finally! After years of reading the legends, she would be able to become an assassin herself!

She didn't know a lick of Italian at first, but on the journey here, traveling on an Italian trading boat, she learned basic phrases such as "buongiorno" "grazie" and "merda". They helped a lot, but the language was such a stretch from her native Arabic/Hebrew, it all sounded like gibberish.

As she sat there, she wondered if coming to Italy was a good idea, leaving her large family behind to chase a dream that she only read about. Ezio Auditore had called her into Rome to train to be an assassin. An assassin! Something that seemed to only be a man's job was within her reach. Her father had egged her on, telling her that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and that Allah was smiling upon her. She began to think of her large family by then; her siblings, her father and those that had gone before her. She started day dreaming

She was snapped out of her daze by a strong voice "Hali?" he asked politely – his accent fairly distracting. She nodded, standing up. A tall, olive toned young man stood before her. He had very dark, curly brown hair and brown eyes to match. He was dressed in white with hints of blue and a black cloak. On his left forearm was a strange contraption that you could not see at first glance. Oh, and he was handsome, very handsome, but Hali didn't let that get to her. He spoke simple Hebrew. "I am Christiano. I am here to take you to Roma" He wasn't too good, but at least he was understandable to Hali.

She managed a broken "grazie" and he led her to his two horses. Not exchanging any words, she got on the horse with his assistance and she followed him. It was a fairly quick trip to Rome, only about 15 miles. Once they got to the city Hali found herself gaping. Holy crap! This place is so big! So busy! Christiano snapped his fingers in front of her face and snapped her out of the culture shock. After putting the horses in their stables, he gently grabbed her arm and led her into the fray

The sights, the sounds, the people. It was all so different from the small coastal town of Ashkelon in the Mamel Uke Empire (modern day Israel). She smelled scents she had never smelled before. Some were utterly foul, others were sweet and savory. She saw things she had never seen before, like minstrels with their lutes and brightly colored harlequins. The buildings were magnificent and new-looking. Brightly colored paint was fairly distracting. Poor Hali was practically dragged along by Christiano.

Christiano led Hali to a square, where he sat her down. "Wait for Master Auditore" he said again in his broken Hebrew and turned around. Hali nodded and opened her bag. Dang, one piece of bread left and no money. She went to ask Christiano if he had spare coins but when she did, he was gone. Surprised at his sudden disappearance, Hali stood up and looked around. Where had he gone? This was a big square. No way he could have just disappeared in a matter of seconds! But then she remembered something. The Creed. What the letter had spoken of in his letter. The letter that had started this entire adventure. She looked around once more before totally giving up. She sighed and reached into her bag again – pulling out the letter that got her here. She reread it.

_Hali Ma-Tair of Ashkelon,_

_You have not heard of me, but I have heard of you. A friend of mine that is a trader met you a few months ago and word of your assassin and spying ability has reached me in Rome. I was wondering if you would like to come and further your knowledge here with me in Rome, Italy. I understand that it would be a challenge because you do not know my language, but I know of people that speak your tongue and can teach you mine. I also understand the culture shock you might have, but I still strongly suggest that you come and train under me with my apprentices. You would truly be a worthy member of the team if even one part of what I have heard is true._

_But to be an assassin, you must embrace the creed. You will learn what these represent in due time, but here is what they are, so that you may ponder them:_

_Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent_

_Hide in plain sight_

_Never Compromise the brotherhood_

_The word brotherhood is fairly misleading, so I encourage you to think of it more as a guild so as not to feel left out. But Hali, even if you decide not to come to Rome, remember this,_

_Nothing is true. Everything is permitted _

_Please respond, _

_Ezio Auditore Di Firenze_

Hali took a breath. Wow. She just couldn't believe that an assassin wanted her to train with him. She was afraid that she would forever be stuck as a housewife somewhere, with 12 kids and no life to lead.

She got up and looked around again, where was Mr. Auditore? Just as she was about to sit again, she felt a hand grasp her shoulder. Within the following two seconds, Hali twisted around and punched the owner of said hand right in the face. She stood in a defensive position as she man held his face "AH! CHE MALE! (THAT HURTS!)" The man held his face and took a breath "Hali?" he asked as he checked to see if he was bleeding. Hali gave him a confused look "Sei Hali? (Are you Hali?)" he asked again. She watched as he came up to her and she stood up straight.

The man was tall with a hood covering his face. He had a metal contraption on both of his forearms and a belt with a symbol that Hali recognized. The symbol at the bottom of the letter. "Ezio Auditore di Firenze?" she asked with her thick accent. The man chuckled and pat her head. She realized what she had done and began repeating another Italian phrase she had learned "Mi dispiace! Mi Dispiace!(I am sorry! I am sorry!)" she repeated in her best Italian, though her accent made it sound like "mi diplace"

"Do not worry" he said in fairly ok Hebrew "though I am impressed at your strength" he chuckled again, holding his jaw. "Follow me, Signorina Ma-Tair. I shall show you where you shall stay" he motioned her to follow. Only then did Hali realize how late it was. The sun was near setting, and the busy streets were beginning to thin out and quiet.

Once they got to the hideout, he showed her to a small, simple room. "Here is where you shall be staying" he said. Hali walked in. there was only one bed, with a small desk with two candles for ample light. She looked to him, confused

"Where are the other beds? Will I have to sleep on the floor?" she asked in genuine curiosity.

"What? No. this is your room and yours alone. You are not sharking it" he spoke calmly and properly- not knowing any simple prepositions like "aren't" or "you're" in Hebrew.

"My own…? Really?" she sat on the bed. It wasn't the most comfortable bed in the world, but it was certainly better than the mat she slept on back at home.

"Yes. I do not have many apprentices, only about 5 or 6. They all have their own rooms" he explained "just as you have yours". Have you never had your own room before?" he asked

Hali nodded "I have never had a bed, either" she commented- lying down on it. Her stomach then betrayed her by growling loudly. Ezio laughed

"Come come, I shall teach you about Italia!" he grinned and motioned her to follow him. She did so into a large dining hall. It was empty, all for one plate set up. "All of the other apprentices have eaten already, so you shall eat alone. I will get you some food" he took the plate and dashed into the kitchen. Hali sat down until Ezio came back with a plate of food. Hali didn't even ask what it was. She hadn't had a good cut of meat since her small goodbye dinner at home weeks ago. She scarfed down the meat and devoured the bread and vegetables. Ezio was near laughter. She ate like a boy! She looked at him awkwardly and swallowed her food.

"Forgive me, Mister Ezio Auditore…." She managed and wiped her face with her sleeve. "That was not very lady-like…."

"Do not worry! I am not concerned with your manners. Finish eating, and go to your room. It is time for sleep." He smiled and went to the door "Buoa Noite, Sengorina" Ezio said before leaving, Hali seduced that it meant 'good night' and continued to eat.

After eating she went to her room and began emptying her bag. She didn't have much. A piece of bread, a necklace from her father, a small vase, and a black string that she used to tie her thick bangs away from her face. she contemplated writing a letter to her family, it could wait until tomorrow. She had been the first to be able to travel such a great distance, so she worried that they were worried. She eventually let it go, and lied in her new bed. It was seemingly heaven sent. What a beautiful way to start her new life in Italy. She closed her eyes, and dreamed of her mother


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for reading and all the other stuff! i really enjoy writing this andseeing people put this on thier story watch and favorites it awesome. but i want reveiws, please!** **Please and thank you :3**

**OMGWTFBBQ ONE OF MY FAV WRITERS HAS ADDED ME TO HER STORY ALERT! !  
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**Thank you so much, VampireVampyre! You made my day :D  
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Now, I could do this day to day, but that would be very, very boring, so I shall do it montage style just because I can –insert IDGAF icon-

The next three or four months were nothing but challenge upon challenge for Hali. Along with learning to master basic assassin techniques (which she mastered with ease), learning to use a hidden blade, and the challenge learning the creed and applying it, she was attempting to learn the Italian language as quickly as possible. Ezio was vastly impressed with her progress. Though she learned a bit slower than his other apprentices, she retained things much better and applied them with equal velocity. It did help that he gave her private Italian lessons to learn the language.

By July (she had arrived about March) she was speaking and understanding Italian well enough to be out and about on her own. She had a hard time with people that spoke to fast, especially people in a panic, but she managed well enough to be sent on simple missions like deliveries and reconnaissance (recon).

Ezio soon discovered her assassin specialty- espionage. This girl was the perfect spy. She was quiet, nimble and had basically mastered the art of hiding in plain sight. Even an expert assassin such as Ezio had a somewhat difficult time finding her when she went into what had been dubbed "spy-mode".

She was also a fairly indirect killer. She killed from behind or with other methods, in which Ezio learned of another specialty of hers- plants. Hali knew which plants were safe to eat and which were deadly. She also knew how to mix healthy ones to MAKE them deadly. Ezio once saw her consume a poisonous plant and nearly had a heart attack- thinking she was committing suicide for some reason, until she revealed a little talent she had- knowing how to eat poisonous plants without being effected. Ezio was vastly impressed. Le Volpe heard of this, and asked her if she would be willing to share her method. But she shook her head saying that it was a skill that took years to build up and perfect. Too valuable to pass on to just anyone.

Now the hidden blade was a challenge to learn to use. Hali was used to daggers, holding one in her hand and striking quickly. But the hidden blade freed her hand for more use, which threw her off because she didn't know how to use the free hand while at the same time taking advantage of her new weapon. It also took her a while to learn to retract and unsheathe the blade on command – in other words, she has stabbed other apprentices on accident. They all lived, but they kept their distance. When she did in fact get the hang of it, missions became a snap.

Now, on the subject of friends, Hali could only boast one that could count – Christiano. Christiano had been training with Ezio for years, and was as capable an assassin as any of the other apprentices- though he was better than they due to his experience. He saw that Hali needed a friend, and in her transitional stage of learning Italian he was the only person able to speak a sort of mix of the languages. This helped Hali a great deal and she was ever-grateful to him. They talked mostly about training, and what they enjoyed in their free time. Christiano always claimed that he spent his time free-running, but Hali followed him one time and found that he never left the brothel and was having a "good time" with the courtesans. Hali found it hard to talk to him after that due to total awkwardness. The other apprentices were also boys, and they were all either disgusted that she was a girl, or genuinely scared of her and her ability. There was one boy though, he wasn't usually around and didn't get along with many of the other boys due to a strange hobby of his, but that's for later.

July in Rome was terribly hot- often reaching 80. Hali spent most of her time in her room, reading some papers from Signore Da-Vinci and training once the sky turned red and the weather cooled. That particular day, there was a knock on her door "chi è? (who is it?)" she asked- looking at the door

"Christiano, may i come in?" he asked from behind the door

"Entri, Prego (come in, please)" she sat up and put the papers on her desk. Christiano came in and smiled

"Signore Ezio has a mission for you today, Hali" he said "tonight - according to sources – a templar knight will be coming to town to converse with the Borgia, and you have to make sure he doesnt make it" He watched as her face lit up

"You mean that this shall be my first assassination? Stai scherzando! (You are kidding!)" she exclaimed happily and practically jumped off of the bed

"i am not. You must get to the north gate immediately after dinner. You cannot miss this one, Hali. This isn't a package- Signore Ezio told me to tell you" He said much calmer than the jumpy, exstatic girl before him. She nodde egarly and ran to the dining hall to eat dinner. She wouldn't have time to train today! She had a mission! Her first, REAL mission! Hali was jumping with joy! But after eating dinner early, she took a breath and calmed down

She was certainly excited, but she realized that she had to calm herself- else risking the success of her mission. Hali equipped herself and set out from the roof. She free-ran to the northern gate of Roma (she had begun to call it that because that is what everyone else called it.). she then waited at the top of the gate for her target. During sit- down lessons with Ezio and the other apprentices, he had taught them how to identify a templar from others in both the way they acted and dressed.

She analyzed an on-comer from afar on his horse. After careful consideration, she scaled the wall out of his view and walked along the path in the near-darkness. She didn't see the other assassin in the area that was helping a snake with its eggs in a brush nearby. Hali pulled up her hood as she approached the Templar. she came alongside his horse, and in a swift move, grabbed him and flung him off, causing the horse to neigh loudly and trot off in surprise. The man was certainly caught off guard, but was not as incapable as Hali figured that he would be and took out a small dagger from its sheathe. He lunged right at her and she dodged swiftly. She kicked him in his back to bring him to his knees, but Hali was novice at fighting in such darkness. The templar was up before she could plunge her hidden blade into his neck and narrowly missed hers. Hali jumped back "Merda! (shit!)" she exclaimed as she fought with the much bigger man. Hali size was both a blessing and a curse. She was loosing. She had to get out of this, fast.

Then suddenly, the man stopped. He was trembling and fell to his knees. When he did, she saw who had helped her. A fellow assassin. She took a breath and finished the job- stabbing the man in the neck. She removed her hood and looked up at the man that had helped her "grazie mille (thank you very much)" she said gratefully. The man held up a hand and then removed his hood. He was one of the apprentices!

"Don't worry about it" he said in natural Italian. "I'm guessing that was your first mission?" he asked, motioning her to follow him back to the headquarters. Hali hung her head in shame

"Yes. I underestimated my opponent" she sighed deeply. "Signore will be disappointed with me" she thought aloud.

"non ti preoccupare (don't worry)" he said as a form of comfort "i'm sure Signore will not be too mad, so long as the mission is done."

"grazie..." she went to call him by name but stopped. She didnt KNOW his name

"Valenti. Bello Valenti" he introduced himself as they walked though the silent streets.

**Thank you for reading! Review and favorite and all that good shit :P**


	3. Chapter 3

After being mildly scolded and then congratulated by Ezio, Hali went off to be alone for a while, sitting on the roof of the HQ, eating a piece of bread. She was disappointed with herself, but knew that she would do better. Just as she was about to watch the sun rise, a hand offered some cheese. "Want some?" a new but familiar voice asked. Hali turned her head to her new acquaintance, Bello.

Bello was a well-built young man, with messy, short dark brown hair and green eyes- a very rare thing in Italians. He smiled politely, still offering the cheese. Hali shook her head

"No thank you" she turned his offer down and ate her bread.

"So, you are the Hali I have heard so much about" he bit into the cheese.

"And you are the Bello that I have heard next to nothing about" she said back and swallowed.

"I do not get along with most other boys" he said as the sun began rising slowly. "They're often pushed away by my ….. Hobby" he finished the sentence rather awkwardly.

"Hobby? What hobby?" She asked- confused at his awkward stance. It was then that she saw a shining of scales.

Hali jumped and screamed. "Snaaaake! Bello! There is a snake! In your shirt!" she went to grab it but Bello grabbed her arm.

"What are you doing! Do not grab my snakes!" he yelled back.

"_Your_ snake?" She asked, taking her arm back in confusion. She watched as the snake rested itself oh so casually on Bello's neck.

"_si_. This is my hobby. My snakes" he smiled proudly and pet the snakes head. Hali stared at the snake- perplexed. "I have an entire room with my snakes"

"So that is what that room is for! I was wondering why the door said 'do not enter'" She pondered- looking away from the snake. Bello chuckled

"Si. That is where I keep my snakes. If you want, I can show you" He offered. She shook her head

No thank you, signore." She shook her head repeatedly and made an "X" with her arms. No snakes for Hali, she didn't like them.

The sun then rose and they were quickly bathed in light. Bello got up "well then, I better get going. I shall see you around, Hali" he bowed and jumped down, running off. Hali sighed and got up herself. She required the sleep, and needed to borrow some of the thick curtains from one of the apprentices to block out the light. She did so, and fell asleep rather well.

A month or so later, Hali had improved greatly at fighting in the darkness, with the help of her two friends, Christiano and Bello of course. They had become this trio of friends and co-workers of sorts. They hung out together, went on missions together, and sometimes even napped together when deemed appropriate. It was a strange group by the other apprentices opinion, But Ezio thought it a great idea, as they seemed to show off one another's abilities and get jobs done twice as fast.

Hali was always the one for the stealth sections of a certain mission. Send her in, and you'll get all the information you need and then some. She kept you up to date on your targets whereabouts better than their own lover. After that would always be Bello, the scout. Bello was an expert climber, and his snakes were wonderful tools in luring the target to an easy kill spot. A double team with no equal. Then lastly, came Christiano- death from behind. His swift movement and disappearance helped assassinate many an enemy to society. In short, they made the perfect assassin team, and Ezio could honestly not be any more satisfied with their work.

As friends, they were a pretty odd group; they'd meet up in rooftops or in alleyways and talk about the stupidest and nicest things. The average conversation usually started with Christiano gloating about a recent "relationship" with one of the courtesans, followed by a smack over the head from Hali and an eye roll-slash-chuckle from Bello. After that would be Hali talking about the latest letter she got from her family. How her siblings were doing, how her father's business was going, and other various things. Christiano interrupted her with questions while Bello simply listened, taking in her speak about a land that seemed so far away. Lastly, Bello would mention something about work and his snakes and the group would simply disband, ready to talk a few hours away the next time they were free.

Sometimes, Christiano would be "busy" – whether with assassin duties or something else, and Bello and Hali would be left on their lonesome for missions and talks.

They were a great pair; don't let Christiano's absence tell you any different. They were a perfect pair when it came to assassinations, and they never disappointed in their stealth and swiftness. When they finished their mission, they'd always buy a meat pie from a vendor, and sit atop one of the steeples and chat. They had a lot more to chat about then Christiano did, talking about the family that they had to leave behind to pursue their dreams.

"I left behind me madre and padre. I don't have any siblings" Bello recounted, taking a big bite of the pie, and enjoying the spices and meat in his mouth, steam poured from the new opening he had bit, and he smiled at the warmth. Fall had recently settled into the Italian city, and the chill was rather bone-shuddering in the evening, just before nightfall.

"I left behind my father, and my siblings, mother had many before she died" Hali compared, taking a smaller but still impressive bite from the pie. There wasn't anything like this in Ashkelon, and if there was, she could have never afforded it. But with Signore Auditore's allowance each week, she could eat whatever she wished! She never had this sort of freedom and wealth in Israel, and she enjoyed every single bite.

"how many?" he asked as they watched the shops close up.

"too many" she joked a bit, taking another big bite. Allah, this food was delicious.

Bello chuckled too, and took a chunk of meat out of the pie, as he did, one of his snakes came out of his sleeve, and took the meat, swallowing it whole. Hali shuddered, even after a few weeks of this, she still hadn't gotten used to the snakes.

"where do you think our next mission will take us?" Bello asked, changing the subject to something with a little more substance to it.

"I don't know, I've always wanted to see Tuscany, I have heard many things about it from travelers in the town, but odds are we'll stay in Roma, or go to Firenze" she surmised.

"I want to go to Venezia. I hear that it is town built with rivers for roads"

"Really?" her interest was piqued. "That sounds beautiful" she smiled at the idea, as she imagined it. She was halfway done with the meat pie by then.

"I know, right?" he chuckled "but I also want to see Firenze. That's where Signore is from." He took a huge bite and Hali decided to talk.

"That would be interesting, but I hear from the other apprentices that Signore is going to be sending a few of them to Spain." She wiped her mouth, and took a breath, watching the smoke pour form her mouth, and empty into the air in swirls and ribbons.

"Spain? Really? But that's so far away" he finished off his meat pie and did the same as Hali, to signify his full stomach. He then burped, which made Hali giggle.

"I know. That's a frightening distance. Even further from home than I already am" she was on one of her final bites at this point.

"But it's an adventure! It sounds fantastici~" he grinned at her. "can you imagine, being so far away, nothing more than your wits, your language, and a bag of food?"

"yes, actually, I can" she looked at him incredulously. "That is how I came to Italia" she chuckled and finished up the pie. She lied down on the roof and patted her stomach.

"Oh yeah, I forgot" he chuckled and lied down as well.

They just kind of stopped talking after that, and watched as the starts slowly faded into the sky and the light of the day-star left. Man, the stars were beautiful. There was no pollution to block them out with, so every night you saw them in their entire splendor. Galaxies and cosmos and clusters of stars dotted the sky as far as anyone would even dare to look into. Hali followed the swirls and remembered the legends that her mother would tell her about the stars and the angels and the beautiful music they would weave while dancing with the stars. She was sure that most of the stories stemmed from her mother's imagination, but it was nice to think about, you know? Angels, dancing on the stars, the stars making noises like the sweetest bells and most joyous symphonies. It made Hali remember home, ever so sadly. Roma was a beautiful place, sure, but when she closed her eyes, her heart remained in Ashkelon, with her father, brothers, and sisters.

Bello looked over at her, the dreamy expression on her face. She must've been thinking of home, much like him. She must miss her family, like he does. But unlike her, he didn't want to go home. He had his reasons, but the main one was that he wasn't homesick, not one little bit. He relaxed and looked up at the stars. "how beautiful…." He muttered to himself as he watched the different stars. Suddenly, he jolted up, and patted Hali "Hali! Hali! Avanti, wake up!" he begged. She awoke and gave him a fairly incredulous look. "look!" he pointed to the sky. She turned her head, and looked out in awe

Falling stars! Falling all across the sky! From all sides, dozens of the meteors where falling; brightly shining in the sky. Hali and Bello watched them together in awe. Back then, there was no such thing as wishing on stars, so they simply watched until it was over- feeling blessed that they lay witness to one of god's feats of wonder.

"that was amazing…." Hali commented once it was over- near breathless from the sheer amount of wonder.

"si… I wonder if we'll ever see anything like it again…" Bello wondered.

"yeah… perhaps we shall not" she said realistically. Bello frowned.

"you are such a pessimist, Hali" he lightly punched her arm. "You really need to smile more" He encouraged and patted her back. She sighed and let out a smile

"alright, I shall try to" she said as a form of a promise. Hali then got up "lets return to the headquarters. I am tired." She stretched and yawned. Bello nodded and got up as well. They hopped over rooftops until they parted ways and ended up in their rooms. That night was a peaceful one.


End file.
